Matt Ryan, Falcons to test Patriots' defense

Friday

Sep 27, 2013 at 6:00 AM

By Jennifer Toland TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

FOXBORO — Matt Ryan said the five years he spent at Boston College were some of the best of his life. The last six in Atlanta haven't been so bad, either. Ryan has developed into one of the coolest, most consistent and productive regular-season quarterbacks in the league and he's a big reason the Falcons were considered Super Bowl contenders at the start of the year.

"He's smart and he runs that offense to a T," Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork said after Thursday's practice. "Any situation you put him in, he can put the team in the right situation. Hands down he's one of the best."

Ryan and Atlanta's offense will present the Patriots' defense its biggest challenge of the season so far when the team's meet Sunday night at the Georgia Dome.

Ryan has a 34-5 record at home, and with a win over the Patriots, he can tie the record (held by Brett Favre) for most wins at home by a quarterback in his first 40 games.

"It's always hard to play good quarterbacks at home," Patriots safety Devin McCourty said. "They're very comfortable. He'll be ready to go Sunday."

Ryan, who earned his second Pro Bowl nod in 2012, is off to another solid start. With an arsenal of targets that includes wide receivers Julio Jones, Roddy White and Harry Douglas as well as future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, he threw for more than 300 yards in each of the Falcons' first two games of the season and has thrown multiple touchdown passes in all three, but Atlanta is 1-2.

"Obviously we're not where we want to be three games into it," Ryan said, "but we know it's a long season. There are ups and down and each season shakes out differently. I think the biggest focus for us has to be on our preparation, making sure that we're doing everything right during the course of our work week to get ourselves ready to go on Sunday."

Ryan's 68.1 completion percentage this season ranks third in the league and his 63 career completion percentage is the best in team history. In Atlanta's Week 2 win over the Rams, Ryan was 33 of 43 (77 percent) for 374 yards.

"He's accurate, he's tough," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "He has very few bad plays, let's put it that way, very few. So consistency, I think that's the mark of any great player. He's pretty consistent, every play, every game, every series. He does a lot of things right."

Ryan has been sacked five times, but as Falcons coach Mike Smith said after last week's loss to the Dolphins, Ryan was hit too many times when protection broke down in the second half of the 27-23 defeat and he was forced to get the ball out sooner than he wanted.

The Patriots, who have generated some pressure on opposing QBs in the first three games, definitely don't want to give Ryan too much time.

"This guy is really cerebral," Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said, "a very smart quarterback and player who is able to go out, diagnose the defense and get the ball to the proper people."

The Patriots have faced two rookie quarterbacks and last week's opposing starter, the Bucs' Josh Freeman, was benched this week. Wilfork put Ryan in the "elite" category of QBs, and Ryan has been equally impressed by what he's seen of the New England defense on tape.

"I think they play extremely physical," Ryan said. "Their linebackers specifically have been really good in terms of their blitz scheme. They use a lot of single-man blitzes with their backers, but they're so strong and so physical that they do a great job of creating pressure with that, as well as in the run game, shedding blocks and being able to make tackles one-on-one.

"I've been really impressed with their front seven and the way that they play."

In his only game against the Patriots, Ryan was 17 of 29 for 199 yards in a 26-10 loss in 2009 at Gillette Stadium. It wasn't a great return to the area for Ryan, who led BC to three bowl wins and 25 victories overall in his three years as a starter for the Eagles. Ryan was the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Ryan's 56 wins from 2008-12 were the most by a quarterback in his first five seasons in NFL history.

He has led the Falcons to four playoff appearances, but is just 1-3 in the postseason. The Falcons lost to the 49ers in last year's NFC Championship Game.